The European University in St. Petersburg was fined due to library books published by “undesirable organizations”

The Dzerzhinsky District Court of St. Petersburg fined the European University 70 thousand rubles because of books stored in the university library, reported . the joint press service of the city courts

The university was found guilty under two protocols for participation in the activities of an “undesirable” organization (Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code). For each of them, the university was fined 35 thousand rubles.

According to court documents, during an inspection that took place on May 17, 2023, books were found in the European University library that were published with the participation of “undesirable organizations”: the Open Society Institute of the Soros Foundation and the Kennan Institute, a program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

According to the court, anyone with a library card could have access to the books, and the university “did not take measures to remove these information materials.”

Representatives of the university told Rotunda that the reason for drawing up the protocols was books found in the library about ancient Chinese philosophers, museums in St. Petersburg, as well as cultural differences and globalization. The university noted that the books were published and accepted into the library long before the law on “undesirable organizations” appeared in Russia, and in recent years they were kept in a “special closed fund” and were not issued to anyone.

In May, the BBC Russian Service, citing sources at the European University, reported that the prosecutor’s office and Rosobrnadzor began checking the university “for extremism.” Departmental employees came to the university and read scientific works and publications of teachers. They asked the faculties of anthropology, history, sociology and political science for papers with dissertation topics and personal files of undergraduates and graduate students.

Cooperation with an organization that has received the status of “undesirable” or reposting its materials first entails administrative punishment - fines for legal entities range from 50 to 100 thousand rubles. Repeated violation under Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, participation in the leadership of an “undesirable organization” or donations to it are threatened with criminal prosecution (Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code).